The invention relates to a method and apparatus for the treatment of water. The water treatment method and apparatus may be applied to fluids such as grey or black water to be treated prior to discharge or raw water to be treated prior to consumption.
In the field of grey/black water disinfection, great efforts are continuously being made to reduce the quantity and concentration of pollutants found in grey/black water being discharged into rivers, lakes, surface and ground water supplies, etc. This is evidenced by more and stricter government regulations and requirements relating to grey/black water treatment processes and discharges. The quantities of human wastes requiring treatment are constantly and rapidly increasing. In the field of potable water purification, available surface and ground water sources are rapidly deteriorating due to pollution caused by contaminates generated by a growing population and their careless use of water and improper disposal of waste products.
Many methods exist for the treatment of grey/black water. Biological or chemical disinfection of the grey/black water to neutralize the harmful micro organisms within grey/black water are common methods employed to reduce bacteria loading found in grey/black water. Biological disinfection of grey/black water requires large tanks for micro organisms to consume the biological waste contained within the grey/black water. Chemical disinfection of grey/black water is not acceptable for water based communities and activities.
Many methods also exist for the purification of potable water which include the use of chemical disinfectants, microfiltration and ultra-violet radiation. The most commonly used disinfectant is chlorine and when water containing organic material and compounds is chlorinated, a range of carcinogenic trihalomethanes is generated and considerable contact time is required for effective disinfection. When microfiltration is used to remove biological contaminants, the filtering devices require constant and regular servicing. When ultra-violet radiation is used to make water potable, the effectiveness is limited by the clarity of the water being treated. These physical and chemical factors place severe limitations on these methods of disinfection in recreation facilities.
In accordance with the invention, there is a system for treating water for disposal. The system comprises a treatment tank, a treatment conduit, a water circulating pump, ozone generating means, ozone water mixing means, a discharge valve and control means. The control means are adapted to control cycling of the water circulation pump. The control means also control generation of ozone by the ozone generator. The control means further control the position of the discharge valve. The treatment tank includes water level sensing means to determine the presence of a fixed quantity of water in the treatment tank. The control means comprise timing means for operating the water circulation pump for a selectable time period.
In accordance with the invention, a method for treating water prior to disposal comprises the steps of collecting a predetermined quantity of water to be treated in a treatment tank and thereafter mixing with the predetermined quantity of water to be treated, ozone. The selected quantity of water to be treated is mixed with the ozone for a selected period of time. Thereafter the mixed water is discharged to waste.
In another aspect of the invention, the output of the ozone generator may also be directed to a water intake system. Lake water drawn into the water intake system is mixed with ozone from the ozone generator to treat the raw water to enhance the quality of the raw water for drinking purposes. The treated water may also be filtered to further enhance the potability of the water.